the new white flight

...revived urbanism and urbano-centric corporate structures. While this makes me personally happy (environmentally, socially, psychologically, and commercially, I tend to be biased toward dense urbanism), I cringe to think of the debates that will arise if this proves to be a megatrend rather than a passing fad.

Debate on gentrification, followed by debate on child safety and family values in 3... 2... 1...

more political than I usually prefer to get

...which is ironic, considering my undergraduate education.

1. A handy map of states in which it's legal to marry your first cousin. Note that in general, these states don't overlap with states where you can legally marry your same-sex partner. I think it's clear to see these states have their priorities fixed.

2. An article on why we should worry more about America becoming a kleptocracy than a commie regime. While I wouldn't necessarily go as far as calling this country a kleptocracy, I'd say greed and misinformation are definitely two of our greatest national threats.

3. Bill Moyers on Net Neutrality.

4. For feel-good value, a friend shared this with me. Ay, ayayay! Canta, no llores!

Illegal Education

It's interesting that, despite the general trend of the long arc of history to bend toward justice (forgive me, Dr. King, for butchering your beautiful words), how generally xenophobic we're becoming. Take, for instance, this missive I received on international export laws and how they apply to international students. My international classmates are already having an incredibly difficult time finding internships in the US. It's not that the process of sponsoring an intern is that complicated, and it's not that it's expensive. Someone explained to me--in a more approving way than I'd have mustered--that it's because they use internships as funnels for employment, and to hire a non-citizen for a position, you have to prove that there was no qualified US citizen that you could have hired instead.

Frankly, I'm a fan of US citizens being employed, but I think it's pretty malicious to lure students here with scholarships and the promise of world-class educations, educate them with US resources, then refuse to hire them. Ultimately it hurts the US most, by choking out talented knowledge workers, and by wasting resources on a person who'll eventually be forced to leave the country for work (thus never paying back into the tax base). Even factoring out all moral arguments, it's fiscally irresponsible to treat international students and applicants that way.

Add to that, international students will probably no longer set foot in Arizona, since they can be stopped and detained until the Feds can prove their legal status on the basis of an assumption by a state or local police officer. Nope, no racial profiling going on there!

good news on the economic front

Magic 8-ball says "A tentative yes."

Megatrends lead the Decepticons to victory

(I can't help it--Megatrend in my head evokes all sorts of "Megatron" linkages)

Anyway, that's a really pitiful excuse for an intro to an article that's both well-written and highly specific on the need for businesses to not only acknowledge sustainability, but to incorporate it into their core missions. The Sustainability Imperative, from the hallowed HBR, posits not only a roadmap forward, but also a few key strategies (at least half of which are not advisable to take). But, in the end, this is what says it all:

In this new world, the sustainability strategy imperative will be systematized and integrated into the day-to-day practices of firms of all sizes in all industries. Like the IT and quality megatrends, sustainability will touch every function, every business line, every employee. On the way to this future, firms with a clear vision and the execution capabilities to navigate the megatrend will come out ahead. Those that don’t will be left by the wayside.

always vigilant

A handy guide to facial hair and its relative level of trustworthiness.

truer words

An article from The Economist on the importance of planning for "black swans"--extreme unexpected case disruptions, particularly those affecting one's supply chain and operations.

more Durham love

with a tremendous--and blasé--aside about Carrboro. Much love for the Neal family, but aren't there plenty of restaurants in Durham to write an article (about Durham, named after Durham) that's focused on Durham?

From the NY Times.

I heart Durham

Seen on a light pole on a street in my neighborhood.

<3

incomplete at best

A somewhat disappointing slideshow from HBR on the wage gap. In the end, it's not all that lucid or convincing.

a loss to the business community

R.I.P. CK Prahalad

in the money

60% energy savings each year from switching to LEDs. I mean, SSL didn't take long to achieve returns above overhead.

sustainability and innovation

This post from the former head of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau got me to thinking.

The problem with the sustainability movement in general for so long has been that people dissociate sustainability from innovation as two separate things. The thing is, they're not separate. The first windmills? Innovative. Solar panels? Ditto. Bloom boxes? Holy WOW, innovative. PLA and PHA vegetable-based "plastics"? See what I'm getting at here? The separation of sustainability from innovation is a diminutive act, and steals from the credibility of the movement. Conservation is about using less, yes, but about using less through innovative thought and creative action.

.......

So. nerdy.

Han Solo in carbonite. Envisioned as soap.

WANT.

seems a bit obvious

but, sometimes HR departments seem to miss the obvious.

How to make HR relevant.

HBR ideacast about how to create a customized HR experience.

in brief

wedding, trip, case competition, projects, hellish allergies.

This explains a lot.